Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses covers discussed with Compulsions front man, Rob Carlyle

Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses covers discussed with Compulsions front man, Rob Carlyle

 

While talking about the importance of staying unpredictable as an artist, Rob Carlyle, front man for The Compulsions, was recently asked by Podcast Chit Chat about the band’s drastic reworkings of “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones and “Dust N’ Bones” by Guns N’ Roses on the New York group’s newest full-length, Ferocious. Below is an excerpt of Rob’s chat with host, Bob Huhn.

Huhn: “And another way that you show your unpredictability is [with the covers on The Compulsions’ latest album, Ferocious]. One’s a Rolling Stones ‘Dead Flowers’ cover, and then you do a Guns N’ Roses ‘Dust N’ Bones’ cover. You just did your own take on them. They’re completely different from what you’d expect for a cover. And it shows some balls to do that because everyone thinks, ‘Oh, I know that song. But that’s not the way it goes.’ But it worked out well.”

Carlyle: “Yeah, yeah – and they were both challenges for different reasons. ‘Dead Flowers’ has been covered so many times and some of the covers are really good. So, to try and do your own thing with it, that definitely took some balls, like you said. And then very few people seem to cover Guns N’ Roses because they’re really good at doing the definitive version of their tracks. It’s hard to imagine, at least for me, their songs being done any other way. But ‘Dust N’ Bones’ definitely seemed a little more elastic to me. The lyrics are so, I keep using the word ‘creepy’ only because they’re talking about burying things in the backyard and stuff like that, so it seemed like doing a creepy, almost Tom Waits-version of that song made sense. And the other thing challenging about both those bands is that their fan bases are so diehard that if you dare to tread on that territory, you’d better deliver the goods. And from all the reviews that we’ve gotten and the feedback that I’ve gotten, I think we passed with flying colors.”

You can now hear the rest of the conversation here.

The Compulsions’ third album, ‘Ferocious’, was released on November 13, 2020. The 10-track release, which includes covers of “Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones and “Dust N’ Bones” by Guns N’ Roses, was met with instant critical acclaim, including “I Prefer Compulsions Versions Of Guns N’ Rose, Rolling StonesSongs” (Get Ready To ROCK!), “Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke Fans Will Flat Out Love” (Sleaze Roxx), “Think Early ’70s Rolling Stones Transported To The Present Day” (Fear & Loathing) and “The Rock ’N’ Roll Record We Were Craving” (RPM Online), among many, many others.

Ferocious features front man Rob Carlyle expertly backed by a rogue’s gallery of highly formidable players: Brian Delaney (New York Dolls), Craig Dreyer (Warren Haynes, Keith Richards), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Alec Morton (Raging Slab), Hugh Pool (New York Blues Hall Of Fame), Nicki Richards (Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses, Sons Of Apollo) and Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon), among many notable others. Ferocious is available now on all digital platforms via Compulsions Records.

For regular updates on Rob Carlyle & The Compulsions, keep an eye on thecompulsionsnyc.com.

DINOSAUR JR. ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, ‘SWEEP IT INTO SPACE’ & ‘I Ran Away’ Video

DINOSAUR JR. ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, ‘SWEEP IT INTO SPACE’ & ‘I Ran Away’ Video

DINOSAUR JR.

ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM,
SWEEP IT INTO SPACE,
OUT APR 23rd ON JAGJAGUWAR

Dinosaur Jr. return with Sweep It Into Space, their new album out April 23rd on Jagjaguwar, and a new single, ‘I Ran Away‘. ‘Sweep It Into Space’ is their first new collection of music since 2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not, continuing what is perhaps the greatest “second act” of any band ever. Originally scheduled for mid-2020, this record’s temporal trajectory was thwarted by the coming of the Plague. But it would take more than a mere Plague to tamp down the exquisite fury of this trio when they are fully dialed-in. And Sweep It Into Space is a masterpiece of zoned dialing.

In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.’s original triptych of foundational albums, it has become clear that their sound, once hailed as a sort of almost-tamed noise, is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a sort. There had always been melodies at the centre of everything they did. What Dinosaur Jr. produce is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock continuum – riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the infinite future.
Recorded, as usual, at Amherst’s Bisquiteen, the sessions for Sweep It Into Space began in the late autumn of 2019, following a West Coast/South East tour. The only extra musician used this time was Kurt Vile, who co-produced the album and played the lead 12 string on the upbeat ‘I Ran Away’.  J Mascis’s voice is immediately catchy over soaring, electrifying guitar lines.

Pre-orders:

Pre-order ‘Sweep It Into Space’, physically or digitally: Here

After recording with Kurt got disrupted, J Mascis “ended up just mimicking a few things he’d done. I was listening to a lot of Thin Lizzy, so I was trying to get some of that duelling twin lead sound. But the recording session was pretty well finished by the time things really hit the fan. When the lockdown happened in March, that meant I was on my own. But it was cool.”
As is typical, Lou Barlow writes and sings two of the album’s dozen tunes (delivering perhaps his finest Dinosaur contribution in ‘Garden‘) and Murph‘s pure-Flinstonian drumming drives the record like a go cart from Hell. Lou’s songs here are as elegant as always. J’s tracks flow and flower in the different directions he often follows. Some are guitar howlers, with a string sound midway between Hendrix and Asheton. Some are power ballads, and there are anomalies, like ‘Take It Back‘, which starts with a blue-beat rhythm putting one in mind of Keith Richards’ Jamaican explorations (at least for a little bit.)
But there are very few moments where you wouldn’t know you were hearing Dinosaur Jr. in blindfolded needle drop. They have a signature sound as sure as the Stooges or Sonic Youth or Discharge ever did. They continue to expand their personal universe with Sweep It Into Space, without ever losing their central core.

 

The Dirty Strangers – ‘Burn The Bubble’ (DS Records)

The Dirty Strangers – ‘Burn The Bubble’ (DS Records)

There’s an Elephant in the room.  Nah not the fact that this second album from The Dirty Strangers has guest slots from some Rolling Stones and also a tune co-written by Keif Richards but the fact that Alan Clayton has always been a top Rock and Roll songwriter and churned out albeit infrequent albums but they’ve always been a bit bloody good, regardless of who’s playing on them.

Oh, and to be fair most of us did arrive at the party due to the association with a couple of six-string slingers who also have a penchant for churning out the odd decent album Keif and Ronnie or something like that.

Imagine you could pick up all the good and the great from the 60s, 70s and 80s Rock n Roll that ever stumbled around Carnaby Street or one of the dive bars in Soho and as you hoovered it all up (and remembered to take note or almost remember) then you put it to music well that’s the sound of the Dirty Strangers that is with some added thunderbird mouthwash for good measure and a sprinkling of super talented mates.

Alan Clayton is joined for the last time by this impressive line up consisting of the super talented Paul Fox, ‘Steady’ Ray King on Bass Guitar, Mark Harrison  Drums & Backing VOX, Scott Mulvey on Keys & Backing VOX, and the impressive Angie Brown on guest vocals.  Now seems like as good a time as any to give this bad boy a re-release and for me to give this album a leg up.

The keyboards swirl and then Clayton’s instantly recognisable drawl enters the fray.’The Biggest Mouth’ is a foot-stomping rock and roller.  Of course, it’s not original and it might even be dated with the production and arrangement but hell, it’s only Rock and Roll and I like it.

 

‘Party 4 2’ is exactly that, it’s a party for two dancing through your speakers.  Then a track was co-written by a certain Mr. Richards that Boogie Woogies into the ether has me wondering how 1993 missed this album first time around.  I blame the lame music press for only being interested in gazing at its collective shoes whilst wigging out on churned up long solos from Soundgarden or self-harming over Nirvana whilst over there Clayton and his muckers were kicking up a shitstorm in the name of a good time and supplying all the toons it would seem.

It wasn’t all twelve-bar parties you know they were rivalling anything the Quireboys might have had in the locker at the time as ‘High Heels And Hangovers’ is swinging from the chandeliers with style and when the time was right Clayton could slow things down like The Faces did like on the majestic ‘Only For You’ with its false starts and laid back finger work from Fox.  It also has some fine vocal arrangments and a killer delivery but the Ian Maclagan like touch on those keys is a game-changer and adds a tonne of class to proceedings.  superb song!

 

No time like after a masterclass in balladeering to smash it up with some good old Rock and Roll as ‘Special Girl’ has a whole bunch of attitude and swagger.  Songs like ‘Got To Know Her’ are easily as good as some of the better songs Ian Hunter was rocking up with his ‘Dirty Laundry’  and his Rant Band. Before we finish there’s always time for some acoustic pickings and ‘The Gamblers Song’ provides the service and had this been a Frankie Miller song or dare I say it Stones song it would have been a smash.  It could have broken out with the big drum fill but it doesn’t – its more restrained than that and that’s the difference in class you’ve either got it or you ain’t and on this occasion, The Dirty Strangers are dripping in class.

With time for a couple more Rockers before this party gets shut down it seems as good a time as any to pay this a visit.  If you are a dreamer always looking for that Rock and Roll fix then you can stop looking because I can point you in the right direction for a good time.  The Dirty Strangers ‘Burn The Bubble’ is a long lost classic with variety and class just waiting for you to come along and bring a bottle.

Buy ‘Burn The Bubble’ Here

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Author: Dom Daley

From The RPM Collection – Albums Released on this day First Up The Rolling Stones & Goo Goo Dolls

From The RPM Collection – Albums Released on this day First Up The Rolling Stones & Goo Goo Dolls

ON this day in history some fairly iconic records got released over the years some pretty significant.  first up in 1978 The Rolling Stones released their marmite record ‘Some Girls’  now, some girls (and Boys) love it and some absolutely detest it thinking it was a step too far for the rock and rollers and they were pandering to the fashions of the day but if you take ‘Some girls’ out of the late ’70s  there are many factors to this being the last truly great album by the band.

Starting the album off with the Disco backbeat of ‘Miss You’ As Jagger does his best Noo Yawker as the whole record has a lower east side vibe happening, sure it might have been where Disco came from with the whole Studio 54 but time has worn well on the face of ‘Some Girls’ from the iconic artwork to the ragged fretwork of Richard and Wood this was the first album that Wood was credited as a full-time member of the band although he’d played on the previous two it was ‘Some Girls’ that he was “in” so to speak.

‘Some Girls’ has sold a staggering 6 million albums to date and is the bands biggest selling album in the USA! it only managed 100,000 in their homeland of the United Kingdom.  It managed to reach number one in North America And Canada whereas in the UK it only managed Number two (it was kept off the top spot by ‘Saturday Night Fever’)  As for singles in ’78  Brotherhood Of Man and The Smurfs both had more number ones than the Stones -think about that for a minute?  the USA managed to save the bands cred when ‘Miss You’ went to number one which was their only chart-topper anywhere.  As for other singles off the album, the controversial  ‘Respectable’ didn’t even manage to break the UK top 20. Speaking of ‘Respectable’ Jagger had this to say,

“It’s important to be somewhat influenced by what’s going on around you and on the Some Girls album, I think we definitely became more aggressive because of the punk thing…”  Besides ‘Respectable’ was and still is a killer tune regardless of where it charted.  If you have a spare ten minutes check out the band performing it live on Saturday Night Live along with ‘Beast Of Burden’ and ‘Shattered’ its golden Rolling Stones TV.  Not just Keith looks strung out Jagger sounds like he hadn’t slept in a few days at least and Wood is oblivious when Jagger licks his lips during the solo. ‘Shattered’ is classic Rock and Roll with an edge they were on form no matter what the critics said.

to be fair to the band ‘Some Girls’ pretty much had it all from the country honk of ‘Far Away Eyes’ and the great pop of their take on The Temptations  ‘Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)’.  Clearly punk had its impact from the sped up ‘Lies’ and the singles ‘Respectable’ and the new wave of ‘Shattered’ you also had the pure Rock and Roll of Keith’s vocal on ‘Before They Make Me Run’.  I tell you what, go listen to the album from top to bottom and then tell me it isn’t a stone cold classic Stones record ‘Some Girls’ was in my humble opinion the last great Stones album.  sure ‘Undercover’, ‘Dirty Work’ and ‘Tattoo You’ had their moments but they were few and far between whereas this one has it all as well as The Stones never being too far from one controversy or another ‘Some Girls’ go heat from all sides.  Accused of Racism for the lyrics on the title track and uproar for the inclusion or likeness of celebrity faces on the die cut sleeve. Dinosaurs or cutting edge damned if they do for the Stones as they saw out the decade with most of their best work now behind them.

Buy Some Girls Here

 

Formed in New York in 1986 the three-piece known as Goo Goo Dolls released their debut self-titled album ‘Goo Goo Dolls’.  If you were to be introduced to the band only knowing their recent output you would no doubt choke on the word’s ‘debut’ as its almost an unrecognizable band on the likes of  ‘Torn Apart’ that kicked off that debut album back in 87 to anything they’ve released in the last decade at least.  Guitarist/vocalist Johnny Rzeznik, Bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska got together in Buffalo. the debut album is a far cry musically from what they have become although they certainly changed over the years which was fine as plenty of bands evolve but from 87 to 2019 the transformation is nuts.

The band almost broke the radio with the huge success of ‘Iris’ and the ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’ album and nobody could begrudge the band that reward, but.  The first and most noticeable difference back in the early days was the fact that every song on the debut album was sung by Robby and not Johnny Rzeznik.  Secondly, the debut album cost less than $1,000 to record. Just imagine that for a second.  I know it was 1987 but still; congrats on that guys.

Of the fourteen tracks, they managed to squeeze on a hilarious version of the Cream hit ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ the covers didn’t end there because side two featured another ‘Classic Rock’ cover in the shape of Blue Oyster Cults ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’. by the power of streaming or CD you can skip straight past these bad boys not so easy when it first came out on record.  Imagine the band who penned ‘Iris’ also penned ‘Hard Sores’ now I can’t imagine all those high school girls screaming along on this one somehow can you?

As far as debut albums go I’ve got a lot of time for ‘Goo Goo Dolls’ and as the years have gone on I have more admiration for the early years and the recent albums have almost made me want to weep as they’re so far removed from what they once were and that’s a shame. the first five albums in their arsenal I stand by but once they hit commercial success with slushy songs they nose-dived into where they’re at now its no coincidence that the lead vocalist changed and the drummer left after the fifth album was recorded over a royalty dispute read into that what you will but that debut was excellent and still is to this day. I always had the band hand in hand with Soul Asylum another great band who started off well and dropped off with commercial success.  This Goo Goo Dolls album was sandwiched between two of the better Soul Asylum albums ‘while you Were Out’ and ‘Hang Time’ a band I sure we’ll get to in good time.

Buy Goo Goo Dolls Here

 

 

Keith Richards – Talk Is Cheap (Mindless Records / BMG)

Keith Richards – Talk Is Cheap (Mindless Records / BMG)

So this once amazing solo record from Keif Richards hit the streets like a stick of dynamite and exploded on stereos and record players across the globe.  The Stones had stopped communicating and it looked like it might be terminal as Richards, Wood, Watts, and Jagger were reportedly busy doing their own things.  Now Stones aficionados were sad but not I for I was quite excited as to what they might come up with on their own without having to fit into the tight Stones regime and to be fair whilst Jaggers ‘Wandering Spirit’ was a real diamond of a record it was ‘Talk Is Cheap’ that blew me away and I’ve since owned a couple of copies on Vinyl and CD over the years that it came out.  I can remember when the needle hit the grooves and Richards familiar telecaster tone hits the speakers it was a total mind fuck and blew me away. ‘Struggle’ had the funk and from the choppin’ riff it was cool as and the sax was just so cool but it was Keith’s vocal delivery that is warm and absolutely on point and nothing like he’d really done before but still totally Keith -most of all it was exciting and the band he’d assembled was amazing the spirit and vibe they were cutting up was amazing.  ‘Take It So Hard’ was a riff-a-rama as Keith traded with waddy wactel as the rhythm section just laid back and drove the song on to something special and again the vocal delivered by Richards is still stunning.

to be fair the whole record is still pretty mind-blowing and fresh as even now all there years later.  Had Richards day job gotten a hold of songs like ‘Struggle’ and ‘How I Wish’ it would have been stunning but we’ll never know if these were ever attempted by a Jagger Richards combo. The record still makes regular trips to my record player and throwing shapes along to ‘You Don’t Move Me’ is a joy.  Easily some of the latter-day Stones camp finest tunes and a more complete solo album from any single member of the band ever and that’s a fact!

I’m always a little skeptical about deluxe and super deluxe reissues of classic albums especially when it comes to bands like the Stones as I certainly wondered how hands-on Mr Richards was and did he really moot the idea about giving this a makeover and including all the extra bits n bobs?  Anyway, it’s here there’s no point in moaning about it but I peek through my fingers at the screen to see how much the company wants for the deluxe version and then the super duper version and I did chuckle when it was explained that it was made out of the same wood that Telecasters are lovingly manufactured.  righto, I thought just under £600 that’s hilarious.  

So the Deluxe edition clocking in at anything from £100 to £140 you get the two records on 180g one the remastered original and the bonus material (to be honest what a load of cobblers) Blues Jam with no lyrics exactly what you might think it’s going to sound like a few covers bla bla bla.  Inside a wallet, you get a load of stuff like the singles a laminate tour pass replica and a bunch of other guff like postcards, etc there is also a cool poster but not a lot of quality as the CDs are exactly the same as the records it could have had a vastly different version or mix maybe a couple of live shows or DVD even they’re not busting a gut here on content other than a plectrum and some paper lyric sheets its pretty cheap stuff not really justifying the cost of a box set and I don’t believe its super limited either so maybe wait a few months and pick it up for half the price somewhere which happened for the Guns N Roses box set.  The Book at the back of the set is half decent but still doesn’t in any way justify the outlay.  My advice would e to pick up the CD version as its a mini Telecaster case replica with some pics from the book and the album plus bonus disc of the extra material that doesn’t hold any hidden gems the only thing that crossed my mind when playing it was how most things always surface in time yet I’d never heard these songs the ones that have been bootlegged to death from the ’70s are much more interesting but being a stones completist is a tough job with something cropping up all the time – you need deep pockets and be able to turn a blind eye to quality at times and whilst there are aspects of this that are cool. The version you want is so overpriced its a real shame because something as good as ‘Talk Is Cheap’ deserves so much better than what it gets.  the recent Strummer box set was a lot cheaper and the value for money was so much greater.  Shame really but them is the choices innit? what remains a fact is the album ‘Talk Is Cheap’ is still the best solo record by any member of the Rolling Stones ever and that’s a fact! Maybe a reissue of ‘Main Offender’ will put all the faults of this to bed and will have a lot more content – we’ll wait and see.

Author: Dom Daley

Buy Talk Is Cheap Here

 Keith Richards‘ 1988 solo album Talk Is Cheap gets Deluxe Make Over

 Keith Richards‘ 1988 solo album Talk Is Cheap gets Deluxe Make Over

Remastered • Unreleased tracks • 30th-anniversary • Various formats

BMG will reissue Keith Richards‘ 1988 solo album Talk Is Cheap as a six-disc super 30th anniversary super deluxe edition in March.

The audio has been remastered by original producer Steve Jordan and this set comes with six unreleased bonus tracks featuring Mick Taylor, Bootsy Collins, & Johnnie Johnson. The super deluxe is a big box that comes wrapped in “Fender replica guitar case material” and the six discs in the box are as follows:

  • Remastered Talk Is Cheap on vinyl
  • Unreleased bonus tracks on vinyl
  • Remastered Talk Is Cheap on CD
  • Unreleased bonus tracks on CD
  • Seven-inch single of ‘Take It So Hard’ b/w ‘I Could Have Stood You Up’
  • Seven-inch single of ‘No Mistake’ / ‘It Means A Lot’

In addition to that audio, this box delivers an 80-page hardcover book with an Anthony DeCurtis essay featuring a new Keith interview, as well as the usual ‘rare and unseen’ photos from personal archives. This set also throws in ‘stuff’ like tour laminates, lyric sheets, reproduction Talk Is Cheap playback invite, guitar pick and two posters.

Buy Here

A two-CD deluxe is also available with album and bonus tracks, and a standard remastered vinyl edition is also available. An ‘indies-only’ RED VINYL exclusive edition is also being marketed.

Talk Is Cheap is reissued on 29 March 2019

CD 1 / Vinyl 1 – Remastered Talk Is Cheap album

  1. Big EnoughTake It So Hard
  2. Struggle
  3. I Could Have Stood You Up
  4. Make No Mistake
  5. You Don’t Move Me
  6. How I Wish
  7. Rockawhile
  8. Whip It Up
  9. Locked Away
  10. It Means a Lot

CD 2 / Vinyl 2 – Unreleased bonus tracks

  1. Blues Jam
  2. My Babe
  3. Slim
  4. Big Town Playboy
  5. Mark On Me
  6. Brute Force

Seven inch single 1

  • ‘Take It So Hard’ b/w ‘I Could Have Stood You Up’

Seven-inch single 2

  • ‘No Mistake’ / ‘It Means A Lot’

Rainy Days And Mondays…Never get us down

Rainy Days And Mondays…Never get us down

How about every Monday morning RPM brings you some of our favourite videos, call it Three of the best. Banish those weekend blues and back to the daily grind as we bring you classics – New videos – exclusives and just ones we love.

 

We won’t waffle on but let the music do the talking. First up this killer Demolition 23 live performance of ‘Hammersmith Palais’

If that didn’t put a smile on your face then get a load of this old classic from Steve Marriott and his beat combo The Small Faces with ‘Tin Soldiers’

Why not wrap this up with a much maligned period of the band but not in my book.  with two of the businesses finest barnets Keif and Ronnie were peerless but Mick was and still is the man.  Star fuckers indeed.  Happy Monday folks!